Amazon Sends Letter to Bernie Sanders Promising Wage Hikes

Brian Snyder

In a new letter sent Tuesday to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amazon promised that “all hourly operations and customer service employees will see an increase in their total compensation as a result of this announcement,” according to a copy obtained by The Daily Beast.

This follows a memo sent from the senator last week expressing concerns that the e-commerce titan’s announced minimum-wage boost to $15/hr. would be accompanied by a loss of bonuses and stock options, resulting in a net decrease in total compensation.

“The significant increase in hourly cash wages effective November 1 more than compensates for the phase out of incentive pay and future RSU grants,” wrote Jay Carney, senior vice president for global corporate affairs at Amazon on Wednesday.

Sanders previously applauded Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos for the decision after he staged a months-long pressure campaign against the company and other large corporations.